This disclosure relates to integrated circuit devices and, more particularly, integrated circuit devices configured through programmable logic embedded within the integrated circuit devices.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of these techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of this disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Integrated circuits are found in a variety of electronic systems. Computers, handheld devices, portable phones, televisions, industrial control systems, and robotics, to name just a few, rely on integrated circuits. For example, a first integrated circuit, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), may communicate with a second integrated circuit, such as memory, to carry out certain data processing. In another example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) may communicate with an optical module to carry out certain data processing.
As technology advances, it is not uncommon for integrated circuits to quickly become out-dated. For example, an industry standard, such as standards for chip-to-chip interfaces, may change. Specifically, this may include changing from a first universal interface block (UIB1) to a second universal interface block (UIB2). In such a case, an integrated circuit utilizing UIB1 may be redesigned to utilize UIB2, which, because of the added cost of redesigning the integrated circuit, may increase the overall cost in producing the integrated circuit. In addition, as described above, integrated circuit devices are utilized in many devices, which may each have specific functional requirements. Accordingly, instead of redesigning the entire integrated circuit, it may be desirable to enhance the functionality of the base integrated circuit.